A complete guide to soil microbiology.

The single most impactful thing a gardener can do is learn about how plants work. To do that, you must learn about the soil food web of life. I hope to cover this topic in detail in this video, but also keep you awake and entertained while doing so. This is just really important information to put into your gardening tool kit, because it will save you from making many mistakes - some of which can cost you decades.
This video represents years (literally) of reading books (including university textbooks), podcasts, research papers and digging that I have done. This isn't me talking here, this is me simply relaying the information I've learned in my own journey.
So much of this information seems like it's "book info" and not useful in the garden, but it's simply not true. If a soil test came back high in nitrates but low in ammonium, what FUNDAMENTAL THINGS would that tell you about your soil? After watching this video you will be able to answer that question with ease, and then take specific action to move the system and soil to where it needs to be.
If you enjoy this content, if you got value out of it, please consider supporting this channel by joining the membership program below.
Thanks for watching and happy gardening everyone!
Keith
Timestamps:
3:14 Dirt vs Soil
4:10 Bacteria and Fungi role in the soil. Glues, Soil aggregates, nutrients out of stone.
6:12 Chelation: the act of taking those nutrients and making them bio available.
6:30 Plant Root exudates. I.e. how plants trick microbiology to do all the work for them.
10:29 Soil tests, Soluble vs insoluble nutrients. How soil tests can be misleading.
14:50 The nitrogen cycle and what your nitrites, nitrates and ammonium concentrations can tell you about your soil food web of life.
17:50 How ecological transition and the nitrogen cycle tie in together. Note that I cut out a long winded section on pH here, and that Nitrates make alkaline soils (the bacterial glues are very alkaline) but fungi and ammonium make acidic soil.
19:36 A continuation of the above, but what that means for weeds and what plants you will create the environment to grow. I suggest if this topic is of interest, that you start at 14:50 so that you have all the information you need to understand this section.
22:14 A Dog in a cowboy suit
22:45 How the soil food web of life can solve your sand, silt or clay problems and create a loam. You will still have heavy clay, you just won't care. Nor will your plants. This is why something like a carpet of daikon radishes is the ultimate clay solution.
26:54 Tilling
28:14 The larger organisms of the soil food web of life. I.e. this is where chelation happens.
30:25 We are all just spaceships carrying around the smaller lifeforms.
32:31 Fertilizers and microbiology
36:27 Every piece is as important as every other piece. I.e. balance in all things.
38:50 Okay okay, enough already I get it. I need a soil food web. How do I make one?
41:20 Aerobic vs Anaerobic.
46:08 Three things you should do today after learning this.
_________________________________________________
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[@TheWeedyGarden]

Would you say that LAB (being an anaerobic bacteria) would be bad for your soil (if added to your garden soil sparingly)? Would you say yes, they are a kind of “plant friendly’ anaerobic bacteria in that sense. Perhaps an ‘exception to the rule’, or would you say no, LAB are bad news and will create an anaerobic environment in your soil? Same question regarding bukashi, or “compashi’ as I call it. Short answer yes or no is fine Keith if you would be so kind. Really great SFW explaination btw 👍👍👍🙏🏻🤎🧙‍♂️

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

This one is a really difficult question, and one that I'm not sure ANYBODY knows. For example, the Dr Ingham way of thinking is that the line in the sand is drawn between aerobic and anaerobic, meaning LAB is bad. However, there are techniques that use almost exclusively anaerobes, such as bokashi that you mention, but also Korean Natural Farming (Cho Han Kyu), Indigenous Microorganisms (which isn't necessarily anaerobes, but cannot preclude them), and most prominently the technique of Jadam (Youngsang Cho), which almost exclusively will breed anaerobes in the liquid fertilizers. The current thinking is that the breeding a natural fertilizer using anaerobes, is fine as long as the soil it is being applied to is well oxygenated (no-till gardens, or forest soils in heavy polycultures). You can place the anaerobic liquid, and within minutes the aerobic Microorganisms will outcompete the anaerobic ones. All that will be left is the nutrients in the liquid fertilizers and a culture of aerobic Microorganisms who eradicated the anaerobes trying to invade aerobic soils. So I think as long as your soils are healthy, applying anaerobic ferments like Jadam fertilizers or LAB like you made in one of your first videos, those are okay. However if your soils are damaged and compacted, you could cause major problems which may be difficult to reverse, as the anaerobes will now have "home field advantage". I hope that helps and isn't too confusing. It's a very complicated topic, and honestly I don't think humanity knows enough. Plants are VERY complicated. Here's another video of mine that explains just how little we know about plants kzbin.info/www/bejne/b3bco2aripeegJY, if you are interested in more. Thanks for the comment weedy!

[@TheWeedyGarden]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy thanks for your answer Keith. It is what I thought also, so it was nice with a confirmation. Thanx for the in depth answer. Much appreciated.

[@B01]

LAB and FPJ and those types of inputs are best used by people who know what the signs and symptoms of going anaerobic is. Dr. Ingham states that with caution they can be used successfully, but that she's seen plenty of instances where it went wrong (due to specifically those anaerobic disease causing organisms)

[@B01]

​​​​@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy ​​​​​She did mention it specifically, I'll try and find a link where she says with discretion it isn't bad, and how she says she generalizes when referring to anaerobic bad/aerobic good (I've watched a lot of her content and she's only mentioned that once I can remember). She emphasizes that this is an Intro-Intermediate mindset basically and when advanced enough (microscopy identification techniques down pat I'd imagine she means) then can incorporate those inputs which are anaerobic. So she doesn't seem to want to say anaerobic are good when 95% of the disease causers are anaerobic and can outcompete if not incorporated successfully by someone with the knowledge/background to do so. Most people she is addressing will not have such a knowledgeable background so it def makes sense why she'd be so steadfast with her definitions most of the time. You were basically spot on with your answer, and lined RIGHT UP with what she's actually said without knowing she said it hahah very possible it was one of her newest videos!!

[@DoseofScienceDoS]

To be very clear. In order for all nutrients to be absorbed they will need to alternate between an oxidating (dry) and reducing (wet) state. In order to reach the required reduction state you will need an anaerobic soil. If you haven’t put lab and yeast in your soil you will run the risk of salmonella, e. Coli, or other nasties overpopulating.

[@m.j.carlson8246]

Speaking as a trained microbiologist, they may not be your words per se, but your clear explanation shows your actual understanding of the subject. Especially aerobic vs anaerobic microbes. Well said, well done.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thank you so kindly.

[@amcken]

For the layperson, this video did not help me.

[@emmaliknesbla]

it did for me, but ive been researching for about a year prior. soil is alive, check out epic gardening. they are more lay person style and will help further your understanding with stuff like this @@amcken

[@TheSmellyhiker]

I love this. I was reading about KNF but decided I need science based evidence before I invest my time. Now I think I need to look into fungal inoculations maybe with fish and worm tea as a spray. You have certainly helped convince me to invest my energy into turning my compost pile. Thank you. I’m so inspired to learn more!

[@ColinKelly14]

When your KZbin research comes with citations you know it's not just average Facebook group science... Absolutely loving the longer videos, as well as your other content!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

If you go through many of my videos, a lot of the best information is often contained in the video descriptions. Less so on this particular one, but often I'll post links to research for people to follow down the rabbit hole if so inclined. Thanks for watching :)

[@ColinKelly14]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy I've noticed, it's part of the reason why I look forward to new videos. Honestly over the past year your channel has been very transformative in how I view my lawn and garden space -- I've converted nearly 8000 sq.ft. of grass into a (very young) food forest heavily influenced by what I've learned here, so thank you!

[@denniskemnitz1381]

Are the experiments increasing yield. Your speaker remind me of Dr Ingham presentations .

[@TheWeedyGarden]

You are a great teacher. You really know your stuff. Sounds like you have studied Ellain. P.s The dog lasted a bit too long. Rather listen to you. You explain it so well, it doesn’t brain overload 😃👍🏼

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Oh you did find your way here, fantastic! I'm actually watching your latest video now with my morning coffee as we speak. I've been so busy lately I'm 2 weeks late on it! I'm just so honored to have you stop by here David. Fantastic that we are in the same tribe, from the complete opposite side of the world. Keep building that army, and lets change this world. Thanks for the feedback. I know for some of my science heavy videos, it can be like trying to take a drink from a fire-hose. For the dog, I fear my kids have warped my sense of humor! Ha!

[@TheWeedyGarden]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy Ha ha. That´s funny, and thankyou too brother. Yes...let´s grow the tribe.

[@sjk7314]

At first the dog was a nice breather. As it went on longer, I literally started laughing out loud, waiting for the music phrasing to signal the end.

[@cadamiller]

This and Weedy Garden are my two binge watches.

[@TheWeedyGarden]

This is probably the single video on this topic I have seen that made it complete in my understanding the story. Thanks Keith. Your help has meant a lot to me on my journey. I knew it all before, but your “interpretaion” help me confirm my understanding. Thanks so much.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I'm honored friend.

[@jimcharles270]

53 minutes long! Ooooh today is a good day :) Can I just say thank you from everyone for all the work you do on this channel? Your channel should have a million subs, and I for one tell everyone I know about you. The quality is unmatched. You deserve so much more recognition.

[@KASA0828]

Lol. Ditto!

[@robertahrens8844]

Just wanted to also mention that producing such youtube information is time consuming. You also present topics well in a down to earth way. It comes in handy when you try to explain to someone e.g. the Soil Food Web (complex) & you can simply forward link to the above 😀

[@jasperpodenco1550]

Totally agree.

[@Acts-1322]

So true. He is such a KZbin gem!!

[@heidimisfeldt5685]

Best part is you can be doing something with your hands, like cooking dinner, while listening. 😊❤

[@glenpryce]

I've read many permaculture books and watched numerous videos on this and similar subjects over years but you are very good at explaining the many concepts in simple terms. Great job😁

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thanks 😊

[@putyourhopeinchrist8393]

INDEED, Im so grateful to have found Keith and his channel. So much precious knowledge. Thank you Keith

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

❤️

[@jamesfrederick.]

You are in fact correct this is one of the most important videos you can watch

[@youngsahm03]

Love this video and your well paced, well spoken teaching on this. Trained in different arena of engineering and definitely not a scientist, so for me as a layperson this video was very helpful! I’ve probably learned about soil microbiology from 5 or 6 different people, but this is by far one of the best breakdowns. The, “what does this mean” at the end of each section in the video really helps to put things into perspective. Puppy picture also helped tremendously to decompress and absorb the information! 😂 A form of mental chelation??

[@shaik.m.834]

This video has changed my whole perspective of feeding my plants. Thanks so much!!! This was so informative and actually will be a game changer for me.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Awesome! That's what I was hoping this video would do for many people:)

[@Tsuchimursu]

I'm a (plant) nerd, you expect me to have friends to share to?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

LOL there are dozens of us! DOZENS!

[@formidableflora5951]

When my local gardening friends post pics of garishly-colored petunias and impatiens, these receive over a hundred "likes." If I posted a pic of wildflowers abuzz with pollinators, I'd be lucky to receive 7 "likes." I've found only one local person with a wild permaculture property (he runs a nursery out of his tiny driveway) who talks non-stop soil/plants...that's part of why I'm here, searching for the rest of my tribe.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Yeah, it's the same thing everywhere. I can make a video or photo about unique "weeds" and their benefits, and get almost no "likes", but then the too posts are gardeners who pick carrots after 4 weeks and laugh about their "tiny cute carrot", and it gets thousands of votes. Kind of funny.

[@williammcduff6531]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy , yeah like the movie the replicators....lol.

[@soilsteward]

@@formidableflora5951 but then you know that every like you get is not someone's muscle memory. Your likes hold true admiration and fan following :)

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I added a bunch of timestamps to help you all find sections you may be interested. Just a caution though, this really is a video that builds on itself step by step, and I do know that it's long, but nothing worth doing comes easy. I suggest if you can, watch the entire video.

[@KASA0828]

Ty!!!

[@rebeccajohnson1368]

Thanks for reading textbooks on behalf of all of us

[@chachadodds5860]

I could've listened for another hour. Your videos are always informative and interesting, but this one is especially superb. I've read some of these references, and seen the original presentation on the chart in the thumbnail, so the concepts you talked about are familiar to me. But wow! You really brought it all together in a way that made even more sense, with several light bulbs going on, and the answers to a couple of questions I've had floating around in my head for quite awhile. Like the fact that plants don't need to be spaced out, if the soil is healthy and balanced. Plus, this video was punctuated with some very funny moments. In essence, you have a knack for digesting the academics, and feeding it to us in a way that not only makes sense to the average gardener interested in doing their part to rebuild the earth's permaculture, but you also give us practical ways to apply the principles to our little corner of the planet. I'm down in New Mexico, located in a mountainous region of high desert, with dead dirt. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but New Mexico, is quite unique in its climate and terrain. Of all the many places I've lived, and gardened, this has been the most challenging, and I've spent the months, just working on providing what the ground needs to begin the journey toward health and vitality. Yet, I watch all of your videos. Not just because you are enjoyable to listen to, but because I always learn something from you; even though you're in Canada. Thank you, for everything you do, and all that you share. You are much appreciated.

[@KASA0828]

@@chachadodds5860 ditto. You said it perfectly.

[@Jo-ki3mj]

@@chachadodds5860 Agreed! I'm down in the south of Africa and in a drought-prone, coastal Mediterranean environment, so couldn't be further from the Canadian climate - but this is my go-to channel for the right mix of information and inspiration. I do have moments of acre-envy and water-envy - but am learning to work with what I've got. Which is, admittedly, a lot more than desert! Having said that, I think the challenge of working in a desert/hyper-dry environment must be one of the most exhilarating of all - if approached from a permaculture viewpoint. It is the holy grail of restorative and regenerative projects. More people need to understand and promote the fundamentals of soil health - it is one of our most vital tools in helping stabilise our world right now.

[@amandaargent5612]

Oh .. I would also love to say and I don't even know your name. What I love about your videos is your ability to use plain english to simplify without detracting any information. I listened to the soil microbiology video whilst I was cleaning a house and i understood every word. I wasn't at all overwhelmed. Thank YOU and I will admit Netflix is out the door and Permaculture videos are in. I'm working through all of yours first.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Haha nice! My name is Keith 😀

[@nedweeks6964]

If you have a fish tank you have a mature bacterial nitrogen cycle. Water changes are great for charging compost, charcoal or straight into the garden!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Agree so much!!

[@FelipeBirdBugTree]

A MASTERCLASS! I got into learning about permaculture a few months back, and i am so glad i found this video. It was the missing link to the start of my little project on some hard clay soil here in Brazil. Thank you!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Good luck!

[@FebbieG]

21:23 This explanation reminds me of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs or Piaget's childhood development ideas. We're really just building on a good fountain. If you try to jump directly to a higher step without the lower level being met, you will not have good success, but if you start with the unseen, taken for granted, smaller foundational steps, the "pyramid" basically grows itself.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

This is a really good example yes!

[@AminalBeast]

Thank you so much for this! I didn’t know about bacteria dominated vs fungal dominated soil. I just got a dump truck full of wood chips and spread it and have another load being delivered today. My neighbor has been dropping off horse manure and I had no idea that manure is more bacterial dominated and is better for vegetables than for trees. I’m going to stop using the manure on trees and where I’m making the food forest and only use wood chips there, and then create a separate area with the manure where I have my vegetable garden , maybe w a little wood chip mulch on top

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Awesome! You've got it perfectly correct!

[@acoble9015]

Dude, I have been watching you for about a year and while I am only half way through, this is YOUR BEST VIDEO. MOAR!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Awesome! Glad to hear it, thanks for the feedback. This one took a while to put together for sure. I never know how "sciencey" people want the videos - actually I have a pretty good idea and the answer (for the average viewer) is not very sciencey at all. So a video like this comes at a risk that you put a hundred hours into it and it gets 1k views, no comments and even worse, people think "this channel isn't fun anymore" and unsub. It sounds silly but that's just the reality of hoping to grow a channel. The goal of this channel also isn't to solve any scientific questions regarding soil science. The goal is and always will be to inspire new people to take up gardening and planting more trees. I'm hoping that through this platform I can do more good on this planet by creating some kind of snowball effect off of what I did on my land - and that when I'm in my deathbed I can look back on my life and know I did as much as I could for my kids and the planet they will inherit. So when I say I appreciate that feedback, I really do. Like I REALLY do, because it tells me that all this work I'm putting in is worth it in some small way at least.

[@godisincontrol32]

Excellent Content 🎉 Thank you 😊

[@cdoane1110]

Listening to this yet again. Incredibly well done. I don't have a 'scientific' mindset and, while I struggle to absorb this information, it's so important. Thank you for all you've done to promote regenerative permaculture.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thanks Cate :)

[@JamesCooker-no8ud]

Hello How are you doing today

[@formidableflora5951]

What I'm currently thinking about: How last summer's extreme drought conditions here in New England may have affected soil microbiology, i.e. a potential "drought legacy." Everything grew extremely well last year under a substantial wood chip mulch, but I'm observing some unexpected downward shifts in productivity for numerous plants this season...despite plenteous application of chicken-generated compost. Incidentally, my husband heads off to work everyday saying "Tootaloo!" and I ritually respond, "Fruit of the Loom!" Thirty-four years of this and I have no idea why, lol. What a splendid video!!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

LOL

[@Jo-ki3mj]

30 mins in and I will be percolating it overnight and watching the rest tomorrow, then will re-watch. This is indeed super-useful. It's helping pull together a lot of info that I've got floating around half-absorbed and half-understood in my head. Thanks a lot! FINALLY, it's sunk in what dirt is, as opposed to soil. Gone through my whole life not fully understanding that sand-silt-clay are just rocks in various stages of pulverisation. While the soil organisms are intermediaries which make the minerals available to the plants! I feel like I need a gold star or something.... 😂 When my apple trees start producing in four years or so, I'll have to send an apple to the teacher! 🍎

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Haha! You get a duck-on-a-bike sticker with a rainbow. :)

[@Jo-ki3mj]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy I'll take it! 😂

[@miriamrobarts]

⭐

[@GrowWithGordon.JamesPanyan]

Great video. Loved the part about food forests not being new....it's actually just called nature lol

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

LOL

[@kenyenmusic7548]

Holy shit this has to be the greatest food growing video ive ever seen

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Hey, welcome aboard! Enjoy the science 🌎 🌱

[@theworkinggardener5646]

This was the most easiest to understand video on soil science that I’ve seen. I learned so much and I can’t wait to apply this knowledge to my mini food forest. Thank you! Looking forward to the next one.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for commenting to let me know.

[@Raherin]

You made what normally is considering a boring topic pretty interesting! ...I mean, you had my interest throughout all of it, despite going in my thoughts were 'Well... I trust this guy, so I imagine it'll be useful even if it's dry' but it wasn't even dry, it's actually super neat! Very cool to hear how nature works, even from such low forms as dirt.. or soil!. :) I'm a pretty inspired piano teacher (absolutely love playing piano) and that bleeds into my teaching and I sometimes can have students taking interest in usually what are considered boring areas (scales, sense of touch, arm use, technique, etc). It's refreshing to see similar things like that happen in other topics! As always, I love your videos, it's super inspiring to see someone so in love with what they do. Thanks! p.s. I love when scientists say "this isn't my field", even if they are well versed. Always good to do that and gives credibility.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thanks! On your "PS".... Treat everything that I'm saying with the "drunk guy at a bar" methodology. I.e. if saw a drunk guy at a bar standing on a table ranting and raving about something.... except... it actually sounded pretty well thought out. You know, he's raving about some geo-political issue or something... but he's making a whole lot of sense. Treat me like that guy. You should be thinking... hmmm... that all sounds interesting... buuuuuut I think I'll verify the facts in the morning before I make any life decisions on what he's saying. I think that's a good overall attitude to have with any youtube information. On other channels and even on mine. So pick up some of these books, give them a read, pick up more books, give those a read, and get as much information as you can get before you decide something is true or not. Then never close your mind to the possibility that all those sources may be partially correct, but may not have the complete picture, and that science can always be improved on. Very little science is fully settled. And that's especially true in an area where breakthroughs are constantly occurring, such as soil microbiology. We're just starting to realize how important it all is, but that also means that a lot of what we consider to be fact is going to change as we learn more and get better a better resolution on the image we think we have.

[@TheSmellyhiker]

Drunk Guy at a Bar analogy- I’ve never heard it called that but Ill probably use the verify and decide for yourself… now under a new heading. Much less clinical and more personable🤓😁

[@johannesboedecker538]

The Dog Made my day. Great Video, greetings from Germany.

[@l09mcglm]

THANK YOU for reading the science and providing references. literally no one else does this.

[@doristeo1]

Thanks for putting up such a comprehensive video about Soil Feed Web!

[@richt4297]

After learning what I have from you the analogy I use to describe tilling is a subway, imagine new york city had their subways just obliterated.....much akin to tilling. I have gorgeous red clay (which I built a kiln out of and make pottery with) which I tarped in the winter, came back in spring put 2" of carboard, 4" topsoil, 2" compost & 3" of woodchips. As you can imagine the food forest is doing awesome and I do not have to weed anything. The wildlife loves all the permaculture that has been added to it, much of it thanx to things I learned from you so thank you.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Yeah, great example lol

[@tylerehrlich1471]

Wow, well put. Your description of how plants feed microbes to then chelate nutrients - wow. It’s incredible that plants are basically all carnivorous!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

There is some crazy stuff that happens with certain plants when you get down to that level. There are some plants (you know the ones who grow on rocks and you are looking at them thinking... what the heck is that plant eating, there's no soil there). The plants have evolved a way to make the epithelial layer of their roots permeable to bacteria. The bacteria literally walk into the plant root but cannot get out, and the plant literally absorbs them. It's like, fully blown alien level of weirdness down in the wild wild west of microscopic soil life.

[@veronicajacobi8779]

I am also a Mechanical Engineer. You do us very proud!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

😊 thanks!

[@carolyndelvalle9387]

Thank you keep educating people about The Soil Food Web. I am also trying to educate others about the Soil Food Web practices and the importance of organic material added to our dirt to ammend it into Soil.

[@francismeowgannou5322]

I love soil science! Thanks for the comprehensive video!

[@nmnate]

Interesting. I'm totally going to start cutting off "weeds" at the ground level rather than pulling them. Now it makes complete sense.

[@josemontesrodriguez9141]

I need More long, in depth videos like this. Please, sir.

[@maddydog1234]

Very solid talk. I studied agriculture at the masters level, and I am just learning about this topic of soil microbiology more in depth after my studies.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

❤️

[@patmurphy8774]

Thanks for making soil biology easier to understand than some of the other videos I've been following.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thanks Pat

[@juancastillo1081]

Amazing video and absolutely fascinating concepts. I’m a big fan of building soil and I was wonder how can we take growing food to the next level. It’ll be so cool to figure out what plants to plant that will drive the population of certain soil microbes. Do do this I think we need to figure out the root exudates carbohydrate structures that the plant produces and the corresponding microbes that feed on them. It’s definitely a complex relationship but we can group the type carbs/microbes to get a better idea of what plants to plant for driving certain soil biology.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Just as an example of how complex this is... the USDA lists roughly 44 nutrients that plants need, 17 of which they consider "essential". Those are just the atoms though... Sulphur, phosphate, iodine, etc. Well take chlorine (extremely toxic) join it to sodium (extremely reactive) and they form together to make table salt which we can eat (relatively) safely. All these atoms form complex compounds. Right now, there are research groups trying to identify and catalogue what various COMPOUNDS do for the plant (and then potentially be useful for human health) and they are cataloguing literally MILLIONS of varieties of compounds that a plant carries around in it. An analogy to help explain this, is imagine an alien being comes down and tries to research and understand our language. It can't understand anything we are saying, but it has figured out 9 of our 26 letters in the alphabet. And it thinks, as long as I give these organisms these 9 letters, then they have everything they need to write a book. So give them another few decades and now they know that we put those letters together to make words, and they've figured out 1200 of our words that we use. They now think if they give us these words, we can write a book. But there are 171,146 words in the english language. Now think about how many different possible sentences we can make with those. How we can convey emotion and passion and information transfer with these "letters". They may understand the shape of the letter, but they don't understand the nuance of language. They don't understand how that conveys into emotion. Now consider that only some of us use this language, and many of us use completely other languages, even unspoken ones through our body movements and facial expressions. But these aliens think they have us all figured out, they think they know what we need to exist, so they sprinkle letters on us, dump water on us and think we'll grow. And we can kind of struggle out a meager existance based on this mess, but we'd really just like them to leave us alone and go back to their home planet. That's basically where we are with soil science right now. We know the rough shape of less than a percent of their numbers. Another example, root exudates. People think of root exudates as "a root exudate". However there are hundreds of thousands of different root exudates that the plant has access to in it's tool kit, and it selects which ones to produce based on the soil environment at the time. This is an ENDLESS avenue where we could research for the next ten thousand years and not uncover even a fraction of a single percent of what's going on in the soil. We think we're this super smart species, but when it comes to chemistry, the true master chemists on this planet are the plants. We may actually never understand what they are doing. I guess that's what you get when you have billions of years of evolution baked into an organism that is so dramatically functionally different than we are. Hmmm, maybe this would be an interesting video...

[@samanthamariah7625]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy I was thinking that this would make an interesting video…..and then I got to the end 🤣

[@TheSmellyhiker]

Hmmm maybe I should keep a more open mind to various gardening styles even if not science backed (yet)

[@bluroses4]

My mind is blown- I've composted for a while and also have an aquarium. I never connected the nitrogen cycle knowledge I have to soil. Thanks for explaining such a complex subject!

[@DantescoDisonante]

There’s a before and after this video for my soil and orchard. Finally the video I was looking for. Thanks so much

[@aleskaresquivel4700]

You are not “Long winded” at all. You have a good balance straight forward to-dos and explaining why. Hopefully ppl can appreciate a teacher who is living out what they teach. I live in a zone 5 which can act like a zone 4 on a bad season. So many ppl have channels living in Georgia or Oregon but it’s nice to see what a cold climate permaculture can look like.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thanks 😊

[@PaleGhost69]

As someone who watches an estimated 884 gardening videos a year, this title is extremely accurate.

[@PaleGhost69]

Those "um" cuts 😆

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

ums, dragonflies landing on me, me stuttering, me saying the wrong word and catching it in the moment, grasses brushing my leg making me think it could be a snake. Me making a video is like a drunk falling out of a tree, hitting every branch on the way down, then slamming into the dirt.

[@sandradelvecchio6894]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy well you certainly edit it well then because I wouldn’t guess.

[@Tsuchimursu]

Only three a day?

[@PaleGhost69]

@@Tsuchimursu Estimate was based on my subscriptions for last week. There are definitely a lot more unaccounted for but that's a lot of work for a youtube comment.

[@James-ol2fr]

Are you a Dr. Christine Jones fan? I have been loving her lectures lately. She is a big proponent of diversity. I knew that diversity was important, but so many people I've listened to have reverted to single species row gardening because they did not see benefits. A lot of professional gardeners liked the ideas Dr. Ingham has shared on permanent cover crops (a concept I still love but am having trouble with!) but found that practically it wasn't more benefit than hassle. After listening to Dr. Christine Jones talks, I have a renewed interest, and more understanding for the benefits of diversity, but more importantly, a greater understanding for how to apply the rule of diversity in order to reap enough benefits. I remember John Kempf giving an example of a tomato grower increasing his tomato plant health to such a degree that he was able to reduce the amount of time and care each plant needed thereby increasing his profit. We have no idea how higher plant health can effect our relationship wirh the land until we experience it first hand! -kat

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I've never heard her talks, I will look her up

[@shauneilscott]

Worth a watch. I suppose the Borax section had me scratching my head because I do not know what it is. As for all of the biome information that I clearly wanted to learn, thank you. I was hoping for a video that would provide basics and resources for further learning. You did both. I appreciate it.

[@briehoblin8478]

Thank you for that easily understood summary of so many important gardening principles. I learned a lot very quickly.

[@tracyleal2609]

Thank you for doing the deep research and big reads for us. I prefer your succinct explanation gained after you did all the work!

[@hanswurst1125]

Awesome compacted knowledge, thank you for that!!!👍👍👍

[@jzplayr]

Fascinating! Thanks for your research and study.

[@robertahrens8844]

Very informative. This is one of several of your KZbin presentations I have watched. I already know most of the principals you covered but always learn MORE !😀 Your presentation also helps consolidate what I do know. You apply all this stuff to your garden i.e. practical rather than purely academic which is also invaluable. Greeting from down under AUSSIE.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thanks Robert. There's certainly always layers to all information. Each one of these little sub topics you can do a deep dive on. All the millions of different bacteria and what they do, etc. That's the fascinating part... the more we know, the more we realize how much we have to learn.

[@juliekey8788]

I need to watch this video at least 10 more times. Great video!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Glad you liked it!

[@dunedainmom]

Thank you!!!!! I was wondering why some of my trees died, and some lived. This explains it. The ones that died were in clay deserts with one small pocket of mulch and chemical fertilizer. The ones that thrived had mulch with bugs and mold

[@mitcheljolienetresslar7183]

Incredibly informative! Thank you!

[@aniballucasguillen]

Wow, this is the kind of divulgation the world needs. Such great work, so well-founded, and perfectly organized in timestamps. You can take your research as far as your curiosity goes just from this video, thanks to all the sources you lay out. New subscriber here, all the way from Spain! Thank you so much, and please keep on sharing your knowledge! Really helpful =)

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thank you so much!

[@malloryyoung2310]

Thank you so much for such an incredibly well-thought-out and informative video!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thanks Mallory 😊

[@FelipeBirdBugTree]

i come back to this video everytime i forget something, you explain it so clear! thank you

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thank you 😊

[@donbo8103]

Great analogy with the alien invasion and tilling

[@sushipsychose]

Wow, man. This, along with your other videos, really ignites a slumbering passion in me that I only _kinda_ knew was there. Thanks so much!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Awesome! I know the feeling... I had it 5 years ago, and it snowballed into a life changing journey that I will never leave!

[@jill7972]

Amazing synchronicity! This crossed my desk when I returned from a conversation with my builder about the completely compressed soil his giant machines made all around the wonderful house he built for me. I was tempted to have him remove 4" of hard packed clay (as welcoming as concrete) and replace it with top soil. My first instinct had been to cover it with compost and then wood chips, spray with compost tea, and leave it over fall and winter (it's now nearly August in Zone 5), but I had abandoned the idea. I am SO GLAD you've given me the fortitude to try it that way. Can't thank you enough. Best video EVER!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Yeah!

[@sjk7314]

Thanks for summarizing Dr Elaine's science. I've delved a little but warrants more reading and watching. Kudos for the cameo from the croaking frog.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Lol cheers

[@chickadeecorner]

I've been watching this video on repeat and every time I get something new out of it. Prob the best part is the toodle-oo at the end ha

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

LOL

[@jrmikulec]

This video is so awesome. I’m having to split it up into 10 minute segments because I’m so busy with work and I look forward to the next segment every time.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Cheers 🍻

[@thegourmetgardenschool]

Wow, I loved it. Really clear and easy to understand descriptions, adequately detailed with no fluff. A pleasure to watch, keep up the good work!🥕

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Awesome, thank you!

[@Speble]

I appreciate you starting the video off with what your credentials are and providing resources to help others gain the same understanding as you. I appreciate you setting your pride aside and admitting you aren't an expert, but you have studied up on the science you are talking about. I was literally trying to determine how I can validate your information and make sure its valid before believing you blindly. I have a biology degree and an environmental engineering degree (next week anyway) and I understood a good amount of this information and gave me a refresher as well as taught me some things. noice.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

As a fellow engineer myself, openly stating credentials is just super critical. It's also important to express how, although we may not be experts in things, that doesn't make the things we say invalid, especially if what we are saying is repeated from experts, and cited from peer reviewed and critiqued research! I think many times people think they cannot ever be an expert in something because they don't have a degree in it, but given enough soaking time in a subject area, ajd the right diligence in their research techniques, we can cultive a very deep understanding of a topic, in a way that a paper degree isn't required. At the end of the day, it's just a piece of paper, and knowledge is obtained daily, and should continue well after one leaves their learning institutions!

[@Double0pi]

Biogeochemist here (although I mostly work with aqueous microbes, so take this comment with a grain of salt). You explained a lot of the chemical aspects very, very well--I only have a few quibbles. Good job!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Great! Thanks. If you have time, I'd love to know some of the quibbles, it's always good to clean up the mental model of things.

[@Double0pi]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy I didn't take notes, so I'd have to rewatch to catch everything. I think the one thing that truly made me squawk is your description of rain scrubbing nitrogen out of the atmosphere...that is not how I would describe it! All water (including the little droplets that make up clouds) naturally has dissolved gas in it. The gas doesn't get there because the water moves through the atmosphere. It gets there because gas molecules move so incredibly fast that they have the kinetic energy to break the surface tension of the water & possibly get far enough inside to 'stick' thanks to intermolecular forces. Does that make sense?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Indeed that's the exact mechanics (am mechanical engineer here myself). The struggle is how to explain things in lamens terms, but have them be scientifically accurate at the same time.

[@eddy8828]

Such an excellent program. Amazing information that I hadn’t heard anywhere. Great guy for working so hard to enlighten us. Thank you very much.👍

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@connor2329]

Thank you so much for making this! Long time fan of the channel, and as a newly minted Canadian mechanical engineer you are a huge inspiration. Cheers!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Good luck in your field Connor! It's a very flexible field. You can work in so many different industries.

[@neverwise]

I'm so glad you've given me the information for how to use my comfrey safely because I just made a Bocking 14 patch this spring. I'm going to watch your comfrey tea video immediately. What a fantastic break down of soil microbiology.

[@peterroberts999]

This is the video I've been waiting for since discovering your channel thank you so much! Early stages with our food forest, your guidance is proving invaluable. I'm off to plant more stuff...

[@williammcduff6531]

Keith, Kudos on pulling all this information together and putting it in digestible form (pun intended). I'll be sharing it with a gardening group I'm a member of.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Haha thanks

[@williammcduff6531]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy , You must be influencing me because I went out and turned over the compost into the 2nd bin. Then taday I flipped it back into the first bin(only about half because both bins were nearly full). They both giving off loads of heat and I aireated the half left behind. Most of the half left of is turned into compost so maybe tomorrow I'll spread it around in the 4'/4' raised bed where I harvested the garlic.

[@jackie6343]

Very interesting

[@pcskip]

Fantastic. Thanks very much. You pulled many threads together and clearly explain concepts. Cheers from Western Australia

[@StillOnTrack]

Eyyyy! Shout out to Teaming with Microbes! That was my soil biology course text. Its a nice easy fun read and i definitely recommend it. (Gotta love the pun, too 😂)

[@solarroyo02]

Was easy to listened and great information that is inspiring! I’m going into sustainable agriculture after I learn about soil food wed in permaculture! I want to be soil nerd too👏🏼🙌🏽🌱

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Glad it was helpful!

[@heyphilphil]

Do more if these videos. They are better than texts or most seminars.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Cheers

[@mexicas6637]

This video is pure gold

[@johnepright56]

This was excellent and very comprehensive! Great job!

[@making.fronds]

Amazing video, coming from a student of microbiology. Very well delivered, great analogies, and such incredibly important information regarding how modern ag is so bad. Microbiology is so fascinating, learning to help it along on our land feels so natural and good.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Wow, thank you!

[@bethreiners5568]

I KNEW those weeds were there for a reason! I told my family if they’re not interfering with our garden plants, leave them. There’s a reason they are there. We started Mittleider garden fertilizer halfway thru this season, and will add gypsum/calcium to the soil at the beginning next year. This video really explains everything so well. My husband is a firm believer in tilling though. It’ll take a while for his “former farm guy” persona to change his stance on that.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Yeah it's much harder to deprogram someone than teach a new person! For the weeds, exactly (!!) even the specific plants which germinate (I.e. which weed exactly) can tell you something about the soil. Each year, it's a different set of weeds that have germinated in my wild areas here. First year it was thistles everywhere. Second year it was tons of ragweed. Third year it was lambs quarters. It's been a mix of various plants this year, wild sweet Williams, corepsis, so many different ones. The plants perform specific functions, and require specific circumstances to germinate. Our soils have tons of dormant seed just waiting to germinate, and each one wants something different, and does something different to the soil. People said I shouldn't sow amaranth because they will be here forever. I sowed them in year 3, and 3 years later we have no amaranth, but I know there are thousands and millions of seeds here (anyone who knows amaranth knows what I mean, those things make SEED). But they won't germinate because my soils aren't depleted anymore. I bet if I dug another swale and disturbed the soil and volatized all the carbon I would get Amaranth germinating the next week.

[@FuAzzi]

Do two gardens of exactly the same plants, but different techniques.... Let the results speak for both of you.

[@davidpb-j9307]

Thanks so much for this superb distillation of critical info. I'm off to the garden to start applying the new things I learned.

[@jeannechin5052]

Such good information! Thank you! I love to learn about all of this.

[@jotapits]

Sooo good, thanks for putting this together. Question: when starting a small garden for vegetables, weeds might cover what you're planting. In that case your recommendation is to just cut them so they let sunlight get to your veggies, instead of pulling them out whole?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Exactly right. They will regrow though, and you keep doing it.

[@FebbieG]

3:00 in, and excited, wondering where this is going to go. I noticed you recommend David the Good the other day, so I'm fascinated to see what your thoughts on anaerobic fertilizers is going to be.

[@gardeningismyhobby]

Another lesson that I can learn from your videos. Thanks for sharing.

[@lesliehudon5928]

Excellent! Thank you!

[@clover-toadnature9705]

Thank you so much for posting this video! It was a thrill to watch! This has to be the most educational video I've encountered on KZbin. I really enjoyed learning about soil microbiology, and now my mind is racing with new ideas! Subscribed!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

That's exactly the response I was hoping for! So many people see science as this barrier they cannot cross. I see it as door-opening, idea spawning, and this endless source of inspiration. Learn something new, and bam, you now think of all these new projects to try to use that information and leverage it into either doing things better, or reducing work that you do now which was actually hurting your progress (like weeding, tilling, etc).

[@Suthrngal]

To think of all the time and fingernails I ruined and back soreness I created to make sure I pulled every last weed. I was doing a disservice not just to the soil and plants, but also to myself. I love clover too and always got sad when I yanked those roots. Now, I shalt not again!

[@kobuspieterse2056]

I've learnt more about soil in the last ten minutes than I have from my father that was permanently living in his garden making the most beautiful creations with botany excellence! His bonzai's won local prises and so did our garden many times back in the day. I am so glad I'm learning this and so sad that I never did earlier. Will be checking out those books you mentioned

[@StacksUrbanHarvest]

Wow! So many things I want to respond to, but mainly, I'm glad to find someone else on YT that cites Dr. Elaine Ingham as much, or more than me. I subscribed, and enjoy watching this video twice as well as your compost video. As one who has followed Dr. Ingham for years, this isn't really new, but I love the way you present the content, and it's a great refresher, as I prepare to give a talk about this in a couple of weeks. I recently dove into Bokashi composting, and EM1. I've seen some great results from using EM!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Awesome, one of us! One of us!

[@wendyeames5758]

The size of the stones isn't the only thing that makes up the difference in soil particles. The sand particles tend to be roundish which when put together is why water drains through so quickly. Clay, on the other hand, is more brick shaped, which is why water cannot permeate it as well.

[@mrwess1927]

So not only size of the particles but also the shapes of each particles should be taken into consideration.

[@annikasyren3696]

Thanks so much! I watched til the end, and will watch again. It’s a lot to digest. Regarding bokashi, blending the fermented bokashi with soil and leaving it for a couple of weeks before putting it in the garden, isn’t that sufficient to make it aerobic?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

It is, in terms of the microbiology, but all the byproducts are still there and the soil will also soak them all up. Some of them are very stable and will stay in your soil a really long time. Volatile siloxanes are a good example of this, which is basically volatized sillica. Hydrogen sulphide is a particularly nasty byproduct that will then contaminate your soils for a very long time. Acetic Acid (vinegar) is produced in a substantial quantity. Vinegar is often used as a weed killer because it kills plants. So although the soil microbiology will transition away from anaerobes over time, all those byproducts will get soaked up by the soil, and then put into the garden. The best way to convert even the byproducts is to apply oxygen to the liquid batch for as long as possible before it ever touches the garden. Another thing that can help is to mix biochar in, because the biochar will lock up many of these volatile compounds and make them inert (similarly to how toxic chlorine is bound up in salt (NaCl) and relatively safe). The only tricky part is that is the biochar itself must really be made properly so that all the volatile oils in the wood are burned off and recombusted.

[@jel77l26]

Haha 😆 I am a plant nerd now. Thank you soooo much for educating me on this. Love it! 👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏❤️

[@kathleenebsen2659]

Thank you so much! Lots to digest.

[@timmimoore3270]

I finally had time to sit and listen to this whole video today. I am now a certified plant nerd! Thank you so much for studying and summarizing soil science - permaculture style here. I see how we can improve our already somewhat successful efforts in our budding food forest. We're still putting plants into the ground here in late October in south central Kansas. Two honeyberries and two Juneberries today, in fact! Also spreading lots of wood chips to expand our potential planting area for next year. You're one of my two favorite permaculture KZbinrs. The other is here: kzbin.info - her approach is very different in presentation, but similar in that she trusts nature's ways and works with them to achieve magical results. I have learned so much from your videos! Thank you!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I really like Collette. I bought her book just to support her. I think her mindset is fantastic, and she has radically changed her land.

[@timmimoore3270]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy I should have guessed you'd already know her work!

[@anthonyromero2605]

Thank you for your research

[@selectbrands]

Excellent video! Thank you!

[@ChristopherPisz]

I've had glorious success just letting kitchen scraps, meat, milk, weeds, cheese, fat, and anything organic at all, rot in a 5 gallon bucket with a lid, and then diluting the result with water and feeding it to my plants. Side by side tests for quite awhile have shown me that this makes a huge difference in my soil. I don't buy that anaerobic is "sooo bad!", and I constantly have to say this anytime Miss Ingraham has had her ugly influence on anyone. She is completely over zealous about her fear of anaerobes. Sure, if you see anaerobes in your compost, you aren't turning it enough. But plenty of people use anaerobic processes to feed the soil, and I've yet to see any evidence at all of any detrimental effect whatsoever. It's natural. When you put a rotting carcass 6 feet into the ground, do you think those are aerobic bacteria breaking that down and feeding plants? nope. Aerobic bacteria are only on the top few inches. I also suspect the dead carcasses of anaerobes are actually feeding the aerobic bacteria in the layer of soil where there is oxygen. There are also bacteria that can survive in both environments. We also haven't identified and don't know anything about 98% of the bacteria out in the world. I'd love to have soil that needs nothing, but there was no life in my lot at all when I started. Just 80% calcium carbonate in heavy clay, with less than 1ppb of nitrogen. Now, after spreading "rot water" and wood chips, I've got plants thriving in ways I never dreamed they could. When I get my next property, Ill will likely kickstart things in the same way and use it less once plants can actually grow and feed themselves their own organic matter.

[@Horse237]

Look up Bokashi which is a Japanese technique and Jadam which is Korean. They are both anaerobic. When the PH gets to neutral, you can compost it. I suggest using worm bins to make vermicast. Worms turn coffee grounds into easily absorbable amino acids.

[@ChristopherPisz]

@@Horse237 Those are what makes me say what I said. Ingraham downright says Bokashi is crap in multiple videos and she is dead wrong.

[@Grace-ms7un]

That is amazing information thanks 😊

[@James-ol2fr]

I see so much bashing of her and her work. I think it's important to remember she is still learning, too. She has changed her own mind on some things. She's been studying since the 70s and a lot has changed in the understanding of this field.

[@ChristopherPisz]

@@James-ol2fr I can appreciate that, but she has achieved a status where she is the definitive source of soil life in many people's eyes and many people accept what she says without question, so I try to raise those questions for public view. I can give her credit for the work she has done. I just think more care should be taken in some of the sweeping statements she makes.

[@rgb5031]

At [38:08] he's just reminding you that 'frogs are friends', (& 'bug vacuums'), and that you should mention 'poisons are very dangerous (=deadly) to Frogs!'

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Frogs are the "canary in the coal mine". They are very fragile, and are one of the first species to die off if there is a problem with toxins. Conversely, if you have a lot of frogs, its a good sign that you are doing something right. Great comment!

[@DMT4Dinner]

Thanks for the great info!

[@amywiseman3246]

I just came in from hand picking Japanese beetles🪲off my grapes & raspberries… I’m in love with your brain😉 I SO needed this information. We are so sandy here & amending our soil has been an overwhelming ongoing process.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Japanese beetles are brutal. Nothing here eats them, and they are always playing leapfrog.

[@Lochness19]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy I don't have grapes or raspberries but they're often on my pole beans. I'll usually pick off half a dozen on a sunny day from my 20ft long wall of pole beans. Which is not too bad compared to how many I've seen elsewhere. The cucumber beetles are harder to deal with for me because they're smaller which makes them harder to catch and see, and they're more likely to be hidden deeper in the vegetation while the Japanese beetles are at the top. What kind of nutrients to Japanese beetles return back to the soil? :P

[@Lochness19]

@A R Meh, I have a decent amount of ladybugs and I'd be weary of introducing disease to my local ladybug population from releasing factory farmed ones. Also doubtful they'd eat Japanese beetles?